It’s always great to see people you know coming up with innovative ideas and making them work successfully. This time, a friend from my time at MGH in Boston, plastic surgeon Geoff Gurtner, MD, has come up with a neat scar-reducing dressing that looks quite promising in early trials. Here’s the concept: we know that scars […]
Here’s the story from wbtv.com. (Edited for brevity.) *********** NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – After three people were charged with an illegal liposuction procedure in a North Myrtle Beach apartment, the doctor who treated the victim has spoken up to warn others about the threat of uncertified plastic surgeons. Dr. Ralph Cozart said he was […]
Get the word out! The 2011 Race for the Cure – the Susan G. Komen Foundation event for breast cancer awareness and fundraising – is happening October 16th in Orlando at BrightHouse Stadium. Our office has formed a walking team – and we’ll be there, helping! Our team name is “Fiala’s Breast Friends Forever” – […]
Here is the amazing story of how a man with cancer of the trachea (and no other remaining treatment options) was treated with a tracheal transplant created from “scratch” in the tissue engineering lab, using the patient’s own stem cells. Very exciting, cool stuff, reported today in the Wall Street Journal.************ Cancer Patient Saved With Lab-Grown […]
A few years ago, there was an FDA-approved injectable filler product called Isolagen. The company, however, couldn’t get their financing together, and went bankrupt in 2009. But now, rising from the ashes, the product is back, under a new name, laViv. The product just received FDA approval last week. But, to my review, it’s basically […]
Fireworks are beautiful – but care and safety are needed to avoid burns and injuries. Dr. Ramona Bates, from the suture for a living blog, has written an nice review piece about how to safely deal with fireworks. The link is below. It’s especially timely with the July 4 holiday fast approaching. Please read it, and explain […]
When traveling, I’ve often wondered why the TSA agents don’t wear the little dosimetry badges that all medical and dental personnel who work around X-rays wear on their lapels. It’s a standard safety precaution in the industry, another method of ensuring that medical personnel aren’t inadvertently getting exposed to too much radiation at work. Well, […]
When the FDA re-approved silicone breast implants for general use, back in November of 2006, one of the conditions was that the two major manufacturers and the FDA would co-operate to do some ongoing follow-up studies about implant safety and effectiveness. Now, approximately 5 years later, the FDA has released an update, discussing the first […]
Here’s a cool new idea: spray-on skin grafts. Using the ReCell kit, a small skin biopsy is processed, turning the sliver of skin into a suspension of cells. This takes about 30 minutes. The resulting liquid is then sprayed onto the area of second-degree burns. And here’s a bonus: you can cover a much bigger area […]
This week, the FDA announced a series of changes that will affect how sunscreens are labelled. This is a good thing for consumers: the manufacturers will have to be very clear about whether the product products against UVA rays, or the more typical UVB. Misleading terms like “sunblock” and “waterproof” are going to be eliminated. […]
